Just a little Halloween magic
by TwilightPony21
Summary: Bud's mind plays some Halloween tricks on him. A humorous little one-shot for the Halloween season.


**Hi, everyone!** **I don't know if you're familiar with Catherine Bell's current show _Good Witch_ , but she plays Cassie Nightingale, the owner of Grey House (a bed and breakfast) and Bell, Book & Candle (a gift shop) in Middleton. Cassie lives at Grey House with her daughter Grace and the rest of her family, and she's fallen in love with her next door neighbor, Sam. The show revolves around Cassie's ****mysterious magical abilities, her good heart, and her adventures with the other townspeople** — **and this crossover ficlet brings some familiar guests from JAG into her world. It's** **just a short, humorous one-shot in the spirit of the Halloween season, and I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

"Good morning, Sam."

Cassie Nightingale greeted her early morning visitor as she removed a baking pan from the oven, knowing he was there without even a glance in his direction.

"I'm going to pretend it was the crunching of the leaves on the driveway that alerted you to my presence," Sam Radford said in a voice that was simultaneously deadpan and amused. He came up behind Cassie, wrapping his arms around her waist and dropping a soft kiss on the nape of her neck.

"Good morning," he murmured in her ear. "Whatever you're baking smells amazing."

"Pumpkin spice cake," Cassie said. "I thought I'd get an early start on refreshments for the Halloween Festival tonight."

"Pumpkin spice cake," Sam echoed, taking a deep whiff of the aroma. "You wouldn't happen to need someone to test the recipe, would you?"

"Oh, it's already been tested," Cassie assured him, and she laughed at the crestfallen expression on Sam's face. "I thought I would offer some to our new guests. They're a military couple from Falls Church, Virginia, and they're finally getting away for a long weekend. In fact, they should be arriving right about—"

"Hello?" a friendly voice called from the foyer.

"Now," Cassie finished with a satisfied smile.

Sam tried to roll his eyes, but Cassie's cheeriness was so irresistible, and he just grinned and followed her to the front door to greet the new guests.

"Welcome to Grey House, Captain and Lieutenant Roberts," Cassie said pleasantly. "I'm Cassie Nightingale, and this is Dr. Sam Radford."

Cassie extended her hand to an older man with a round face and silver grey hair, and her welcoming smile was returned by an utter look of shock.

"Uh…uhm…ma'am?" he stuttered.

Cassie quickly drew her hand back, her head tilting slightly as she stared at her new guest. An icy chill raced down her spine, and she took a step backwards until she felt Sam's comforting presence behind her. With a look of concern and question in his eyes, Sam laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, but it did little to calm Cassie's uneasiness.

The captain's wife, a shorter woman with platinum blond hair, stepped forward and quickly grasped Cassie's hand. "I'm sorry, ma'am," she said. "I'm Harriet Sims Roberts, and this is my husband, Bud. Please, no military formalities. We're both on vacation, and I haven't been an active lieutenant in a long time." She laughed self-consciously. "Nowadays I usually answer to 'Mom.'"

Harriet's lighthearted humor finally broke the awkward silence, and both Cassie and Bud seemed to snap out of their strange trance.

"Welcome, both of you," Cassie said. "You've arrived just in time for the Middleton Halloween Festival. It's a wonderful event where the whole town comes together to celebrate the autumn season." She motioned to Sam standing by her side. "Sam here is in charge of the hay maze."

Sam chuckled modestly. "Well, I'm not sure ' _in charge_ ' is the right phrase. I seem to recall quite a few of those hay bales having a mind of their own."

Both Bud and Harriet laughed, and Cassie's warm smile returned as the tension in the room seemed to melt away. "Well, I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay here," she said confidently. "Halloween is always a magical time of the year at Grey House."

~*~o~*~

"I'd say something magical is going on around here," Bud muttered under his breath a short while later. "Harriet, did you notice anything... _familiar_ about her?"

"Who? Cassie?" Harriet asked. "Oh, Bud, she seems so nice, and her bed and breakfast is just gorgeous."

Harriet had been completely charmed by their quaint, cozy room at Grey House. Cassie had obviously taken great care with the preparations, as there had been a vase of freshly picked mums on the night table, the bright color of the flowers accenting the beautiful oak furniture, the plush patterned rug, and the thick down quilt thrown over the bed to keep away the autumn night chill.

Now Harriet and her husband were strolling along the main street of Middleton, enjoying the scenic fall foliage and the bustle of the town while browsing the little shops and restaurants.

But something was still very much bothering Bud.

"Harriet!" he exclaimed, his voice rising a couple of pitches. "Cassie looks _exactly_ like General MacKenzie."

Harriet shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I do see a resemblance."

"Harriet!" Looking around nervously, Bud quickly lowered his voice. "This isn't the first time this has happened. You know…Lieutenant Schonke on the _Seahawk_?" He gulped noticeably. "What if...what if the General has _another_ clone out there? How would Admiral Rabb even deal with that?"

Harriet glared at her husband. "Come on, Bud, now that's just ridiculous—oh!"

Harriet just barely managed to jump aside in time as several teenagers scurried past her, hauling a large red wagon filled with hay bales, pumpkins, and some life-size scarecrows.

One of the girls paused as the others hurried on. "I'm sorry," she apologized politely. "We didn't mean to run you over. We just have so much to do before the Halloween Festival tonight."

"Grace, are you coming?" one of the boys called to her.

"I'll be right there!" Grace gave Bud and Harriet another apologetic look as she motioned to the activity in the background. "That's my friend Nick. He and I are helping his dad with the hay maze. Everybody gets involved with the Festival because it's such a big event around here. Stephanie who owns the Bistro is baking all kinds of candied apples and pies, my cousin Abigail is making all of the flower and foliage arrangements, and there's even going to be a pumpkin carving contest."

"Did I hear someone mention the pumpkin carving contest?"

A loud, bubbly voice carried easily from across the way where a carpentry crew was setting up a large wooden stage, and Grace, Harriet, and Bud looked up to see a short, plump woman approaching them.

"Welcome to Middleton," she said enthusiastically. "I'm Mayor Martha Tinsdale, and I'm so glad you've arrived just in time for the Festival. Yours truly will be judging the pumpkin carving contest tonight, and I do hope you'll stop by the stage to see some of the masterpieces created by the good citizens of Middleton."

Harriet could tell that her husband was still brooding over Cassie's unusual resemblance to General MacKenzie, but she found herself smiling at Grace and Martha's excitement. "Well, I'm sure we'll try to stop by for a little while," she said politely.

"Wonderful!" Martha exclaimed. She clapped her hands together and smoothed the bright knitted scarf around her neck. "Then we'll see you tonight at the Festival." She raised her eyebrows furtively. "And don't forget to come in costume."

"Oh." Harriet frowned. "I'm afraid we didn't bring any costumes with us on this trip."

Martha's cheery expression immediately vanished. "Well, you simply can't come to the Halloween Festival without a costume!"

"My mom might have something for you at her shop," Grace suggested. "The _Bell, Book & Candle_. It's just down the street."

Martha looked at Grace gratefully. "Oh, yes," she breathed with relief, "if there's anyone who can put together a marvelous Halloween costume at the very last minute, I'm sure it will be Cassie."

"Cassie?" Bud turned to Grace in surprise. "Cassie is...your mom?"

Grace nodded.

Bud leaned slightly closer to the girl and whispered conspiratorially, "Do you know if she happened to serve in the military at any time? Maybe the U.S. Marine Corps?"

"The military?" Martha exclaimed with a hearty laugh before Grace could reply. "Middleton's very own, sweet, beautiful Cassie? I can't even imagine her as a Marine."

Grace shook her head. "My mom's been all over the world and done a lot of things, but I don't think she's ever been in the military. Why do you ask?"

Bud's shoulders slumped a little bit, and a deep frown formed on his face. "No reason," he said quietly. "No reason at all."

~*~o~*~

"Well, hello again," Cassie greeted as Bud and Harriet entered the _Bell, Book & Candle_. "I see you've found your way around town."

"We stopped to watch the Festival preparations," Harriet explained. "And we ran into your daughter Grace and the mayor while we were there."

Cassie chuckled knowingly. "Then you've been sent here for Halloween costumes."

Harriet raised her eyebrows in surprise. "How did you know?"

"Oh, I know my daughter pretty well," Cassie replied. "And the Festival is one of Middleton's biggest events, so if I know Martha, she won't let anyone show up without a Halloween costume." Cassie's eyes brightened with excitement. "So let's see what we can find here."

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Bud asked.

"It's Cassie, Bud."

"Cassie," he corrected himself. "Have you ever served in the U.S. Marine Corps?"

Cassie let out a laugh. "No, Bud, I don't believe I have. But I did visit a Navy ship once...the _USS Seahawk_ , I think it was called." She shook her head at the memory. "But that was a very long time ago."

Bud's jaw dropped and as soon as Cassie's back was turned, he glanced over at his wife with wide eyes, silently mouthing the words _black magic_.

"What do you think, Harriet?" Cassie asked. She pulled a lacy white veil out of a drawer behind the counter and held it out for Harriet's inspection.

"Oh, it's so pretty," Harriet gushed, running her fingers over the fabric. She laughed as a silly idea suddenly came to her. "I could be a ghost princess or something."

"Well, I think you would make a beautiful ghost princess," Cassie agreed with conviction. She helped lay the veil over Harriet's hair, and the fabric was so long and thick that it actually covered most of Harriet, making her look very pale and ghostly.

"I think this will be perfect. Thank you so much, Cassie," Harriet said. "But what about Bud?"

Cassie smiled a little secretly. "Oh, I think I might have something very special for Bud."

Without another word, she strode across the store and opened an ornately carved box, pulling out a pair of beige, triangular-shaped figures.

"What are those?" Bud asked, puzzled by the small, funny-shaped items. "I'm not sure I see a Halloween costume there."

Cassie gently took his hand and dropped the triangles into his palm. "Then maybe all you need is a little imagination, Captain."

~*~o~*~

"I don't think my ears are going to stay on."

"Well, hold still, Mr. Spock," Harriet said irritably, reaching up to adjust her husband's triangular-shaped ears. "Okay, they're straight now." She tugged lightly on Bud's Spock ears, making sure they were secure, and then she smoothed her fingers over his black wig and eyebrows. "Well, come on, Mr. Spock, let's go join the party before the _Enterprise_ wants you back."

Middleton's Halloween Festival was truly a grand affair. Bud and Harriet spotted Grace standing at the start of the hay maze and her friend Nick standing at the end, both of them dressed as two spooky apparitions. There were plenty of games and food at the various booths, including a wonderful mix of fresh apple delights, pumpkins, autumn spices, and candy corn. People of all ages, from children to adults, were dressed in costumes, creating a crowd of superheroes, cartoon characters, witches, ghosts, goblins, vampires, and other creatures of the night. Bud and Harriet even managed to catch the very end of the pumpkin carving contest, where Martha pinned a first place ribbon on a young girl dressed as a cat, complete with ears and whiskers and a furry tail.

As a bright, beautiful full moon rose over Middleton and an especially upbeat version of ' _Monster Mash_ ' blasted out over the stage, Harriet's shoulders began swaying in time to the music, and even Bud started tapping his foot.

"Harriet, Bud…you made it. Welcome to Middleton's Halloween Festival."

"Hi, Cassie," Harriet greeted.

But Cassie's costume rendered Bud completely speechless. The image was extremely familiar to him, as she wore the elegant, dark blue dress uniform of the U.S. Marine Corps. There was also something extremely familiar about the way Cassie wrapped her hands around Sam's arm, crinkling the impeccable dress whites of a U.S. Navy admiral.

And the color drained from Bud's face once again.

"Bud, your remark earlier about the military inspired our costumes this year," Cassie explained. "We thought it would be a wonderful way to honor those who serve."

"You just happened to have military dress uniforms lying around?" Bud exclaimed in disbelief. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, and he felt Harriet elbow him in the side.

Cassie shared a secret smile with Sam. "Well, you never quite know what you'll find in the attic at Grey House."

Bud blinked as a flash of light on Sam's uniform caught his eye. "Are those…are those gold wings?"

Sam looked down at the wings, shield, and anchor pinned to his chest. "I guess they are," he said with a chuckle. "I can't say I've ever imagined myself as a naval aviator before."

Bud's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I don't think I have to imagine it," he muttered.

Just then, the last chords of ' _Monster Mash_ ' faded away and a slow, romantic ballad came over the sound system.

"Well, I think that's our cue, Marine," Sam said, reaching for Cassie's hand. "Bud, Harriet, if you'll excuse us, I believe my Marine here owes me the first dance."

Sam placed his hand on the small of Cassie's back and guided her towards the stage, winking at the two naval officers behind him and leaving them staring in disbelief.

"Harriet, this cannot be possible," Bud insisted. "There must be some mistake. That simply can't be anyone other than General MacKenzie, and the General simply can't be here."

"Bud, take it easy," Harriet said calmly. "You know where Admiral Rabb and General MacKenzie are tonight…and it's not here."

"How do I know that for sure?" Bud challenged indignantly.

"This is really bothering you, isn't it?" Harriet gave her husband a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

Bud blew out his breath in a huff. "I'm sorry. I just…I can't explain it, Harriet."

"Well, if it really bothers you," his wife suggested reasonably, "then maybe you should give them a call."

~*~o~*~

"Hello?"

"Sir?"

"Bud?"

"Sorry to call so late, sir—"

"Bud, I'm babysitting your children this weekend. I think you can call me Harm."

"Right, sir—Harm…um, how's it going?"

"Everything's fine," Harm assured him. "Your house is still standing, and Jimmy and the twins are getting ready for bed right now."

Bud grinned in spite of himself. "Well, Harriet and I can't thank you both enough. With A.J. off to college now, it was the perfect time for us to get away—"

"Bud, it's fine," Harm interrupted. "Mac and I needed a bit of a break, too. It was nice to come home to Washington for a few days."

Bud shifted his weight nervously and scratched his head. "Uh, sir, the General—uh, Mac—wouldn't happen to be there with you right now, would she?"

"She's helping the kids get ready for bed and putting away the last of the candy. She thinks you probably have enough candy in your house to feed the entire Marine Corps now. You want to talk to her?"

"Uh…no. No, that's okay," Bud said quickly, feeling a flush of embarrassment suddenly creep onto his face. "Uh…I just wanted to make sure she was there with you and she wasn't somewhere else with...uh...someone else."

"Bud?"

Bud tightened his grip on the phone. "Sir?"

"Lay off the Halloween candy," Harm advised.

"Aye, sir."

As he bid Harm good night and hung up the phone, Bud let out another heavy sigh.

Harriet came up beside him and wrapped her arms around her husband's waist. "Everything okay, sweetie?"

"Fine," Bud snapped.

Harriet drew back a little, and Bud immediately realized that his reply came out much more sharply than he had intended. "I'm sorry, honey," he said, "but doesn't _anything_ about this seem odd to you?"

"Oh, Bud," Harriet began. "Think of it as just a little Halloween magic. We've always known that there's a little bit of magic between a certain Navy admiral and his Marine general, haven't we?" Harriet snuggled deeper into her husband's arms and dropped a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Happy Halloween, sweetie."

Bud was quiet for another moment, deep lines furrowing his brow as he struggled to accept the existence of Halloween magic.

He glanced over at Cassie and Sam, slow dancing together underneath the lights, their military uniforms sparkling almost as much as the light in their eyes as they gazed at each other lovingly.

And if he looked closely, Bud could have sworn that he could see the silhouettes of another Navy admiral and Marine general that he knew well…dancing together, pressed close against each other, with a look of pure love in their eyes.

"Aww, you're right, Harriet," he finally said.

A slow smile spread over Bud's face, and he wrapped an arm around his wife and pulled her close in the crisp, chilly October night.

"Happy Halloween, honey."


End file.
